


It Is Unbelievable, How Enough You Are

by tastethewaste



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, Family Issues, Food Issues, Gen, Harry is kind of unlikeable, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Weight Issues, Weird family dynamics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-07 00:01:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19073374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tastethewaste/pseuds/tastethewaste
Summary: Albus has always been bigger than everyone else, but it's hard when some people in your family make you feel less than because of your size. Maybe some day, things will change.





	It Is Unbelievable, How Enough You Are

**Author's Note:**

> This will eventually be a next-gen fic, but this is just kind of a set-up chapter.

“It’s a boy!” Healer Bronson exclaimed, showing off the newborn to his proud parents. Ginny promptly burst into tears, Harry kissed her, and the baby was whisked away by nurses who cleaned, weighed and measured him.

Moments later, the baby was returned to his proud parents, clean and wrapped in a soft, blue blanket. Ginny cradled him in her arms and Harry perched beside her on the bed, admiringly. 

“Albus,” Ginny whispered, stroking the newborn’s cheek with one finger. Baby Albus cooed lightly. 

The nurse smiled at the beautiful family, writing down some notes in a chart. “He’s a big boy. Just a hair over ten pounds,” she said. Ginny winces. 

“I believe that,” she muttered, her long, painful labor and delivery with Albus fresh in her mind. 

“James was only seven pounds,” Harry said, taking his son from Ginny’s arms. 

“Mmhmm,” Ginny murmured sleepily. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two year old Albus shoved an animal cracker into his mouth, washing it down with a long drink of apple juice. They were at the beach, and James was making a game of crashing into the waves. Baby Lily snoozed softly in Ginny’s arms, her tiny face covered by a floppy hat while Ginny quietly read a novel. Harry was watching his younger son, who was only interested in building sand castles and tearing them down, all while he munched happily on snacks. 

“Hey buddy, why don’t you go swim with your brother?” Harry prompted. Albus pushed another cookie into his mouth and stood up, kicking over his latest sand creation. He turned to Harry then, mouth full, and shook his head. Albus’ dark hair was plastered to his sweaty forehead, and his green eyes were large and curious. His round belly of baby fat pooched over his swim trunks. Harry couldn’t resist scooping up his son and kissing him, tickling him all over. He smelled of summer sun and cookies, and his tummy vibrated with his giggles. 

His son was perfection.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mom got the family photos back, she dropped some off today,” Ginny said, sinking down onto the sofa next to Harry and handing him a small stack of photographs. 

It had been Molly’s idea to have family photos taken of all of them, reminding her children that she _wasn’t going to live forever, you know_ and that they would be nice mementos for everyone. They’d all scoffed at the idea, Ron most of all, but eventually agreed. Molly had found a local photographer who gathered everyone in their large extended family together at a park one sunny Saturday afternoon, and they took pictures for what felt like forever. 

“This is a nice one of us,” Ginny murmured, laying her head on Harry’s shoulder as he started to flip through the photos, all of them stationary, as the photographer had been a Muggle. Ginny pointed at a photo of the five of them, Lily in Harry’s arms, James and Albus standing in front of their parents. The boys had cheesy grins and Lily was stone-faced. Harry laughed. 

“These are great. Molly was right, it’s nice to have these,” he said, continuing to flip through the stack. 

The last one was a group shot of all of them. Molly and Arthur stood in the center; Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Percy, Audrey, Bill, Fleur, George, and Angelina stood behind them (Charlie still being off in Romania); and all twelve grandchildren stood in front. 

A small frown settled on Harry’s face. With the entire group gathered together in front of him, it was easy to notice any differences, and compared with his cousins and siblings, there was a contrast in Albus. His six-year-old son stuck out like a round, sore thumb. Albus was just so _chunky_ compared to everyone else, with a round face, double chin and a belly to match. All the other children looked thin and strong, carrying bodies that spoke of late afternoons running around outside. Albus’s body only spoke of extended meals and snack times in the kitchen, and it didn’t so much speak as scream. 

“Hon, do you think...should we worried about Albus?” he asked, touching his son’s chubby form in the picture lightly. 

“He’s just a little chubby, he’ll grow out of it,” Ginny said quietly, and Harry decided not to press the issue with her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Molly, I think he might have had enough,” Harry said quietly, intercepting the cake as it was about to be placed in front of his son. Albus’s lip began to quiver. His mouth was ringed in frosting from the previous two slices of cake that he’d downed, and Harry could see the meltdown coming from a mile away. 

James was impulsive and _loud_ ; Lily was a dramatic wild child; Albus was his quiet, cerebral child. Harry and Ginny spent their time correcting their other two children and engaging in spats with them. Albus had always been beautifully behaved and sweet. 

The only thing they ever had to fight with him about was food. 

It seemed like he was always hungry. Thirty minutes after dinner, Albus was the one asking for a snack while his siblings played. At the table, he begged not just for seconds, but thirds and fourths, if they let him. Harry had caught him more than once in the pantry after Albus had already been told that he didn’t _need_ any crackers, dinner was soon. 

Eight-year-old Albus gravitated towards food wherever it may be, and today had been no exception. Molly and Arthur had thrown a big birthday party for Ginny, and Molly had pulled out all the stops. Harry hadn’t kept his eyes 100% trained on any of his kids all day-they were running around and playing with their cousins, mostly-but it seemed that whenever he _did_ look, Albus was perched by the table of food. He’d grazed at the vast amount of appetizers that were spread over the table. At dinner, Molly had served, and while Harry ate his own food he noticed that Albus ate two plates full of spaghetti and meatballs. After they sang ‘happy birthday’, Harry bit his tongue while he watched Albus shovel in two pieces of chocolate cake. He’d vowed not to nitpick today; he knew how much it bothered Ginny, and it was her birthday, after all. 

When Albus was a toddler, Harry didn’t worry too much that his son liked to snack. His pudgy toddler rolls were adorable, and he had just been a baby, really. Ginny had frequently reminded him that Albus would grow out of his chubby stage, but Harry had begun to grow concerned. At eight-and-a-half, Albus wasn’t a baby anymore, and he’d only gotten bigger. Ginny staunchly refused to believe they had an issue on their hands, and it had caused many an argument between Harry and his wife. Harry didn’t _want_ to be the nag about this situation. He didn’t want to give his son issues with food, or make him feel ashamed of his body. But he also wanted his son to be healthy. He was stuck in a weird, difficult place as a father.

But today was Ginny’s birthday, so he’d resolved to leave Albus and his appetite off the radar for the day, even though he knew, heading out, that it would be a challenge. 

But then he saw Albus’s chubby hand tug on Molly’s apron, and he saw Molly reach for the knife next to the cake. He saw Molly cut a piece, thick and loaded with frosting, and slide it onto a plate. He watched as she carried it to where his son sat, fork in hand, waiting at the kid’s table, long after his cousins and siblings had ditched their half-eaten plates to go play in the backyard. 

And he could no longer keep quiet. 

Albus’s lip quivered as he watched Harry snatch his treat from his grandmother’s hands. “Daddy, that’s _mine,_ ” Albus insisted, reaching his hands up as Harry held the plate aloft. 

“Harry, dear, it’s a special occasion. Why don’t you just let him have it?” Molly said insistently, her hands on her hips. Harry ignored her, moving to the dining room table and setting down the cake; he watched Ginny’s eyes follow him, and he sighed inwardly, knowing of the fight to come. 

“Three pieces of cake is too much, especially for Albus,” Harry said quietly, not wanting his son-or anyone else-to hear. 

“Oh, what’s that about? He’s just a little boy,” Molly said, shaking her head in disagreement. 

“If you haven’t noticed, he’s not so _little_ anymore, Molly, and I’m a touch concerned,” Harry said. 

“It’s just a touch of baby fat, Harry, he’ll grow out of it!” 

“He’s not a _baby_ , though, not anymore. Please let me decide how to parent my son,” Harry said quietly, not wanting to hurt Molly’s feelings. He loved her dearly, but he couldn’t allow her to override his decisions as a father.

“I want it, Dad,” Albus said stubbornly, reminding his father that he hadn’t forgotten about his treat.

“Bug, you’ve already had enough cake. Why don’t you go play outside?” Harry squatted down so he was eye-level with his son. 

“I don’t _want_ to play outside! I want my cake!” Albus yelled, his round face going red and tears rising to his eyes. Harry sighed. 

“Go outside and play, Al, that’s the last I’m going to say about it,” Harry said firmly, and the tears in Albus’s eyes overflowed, flowing hot down his red cheeks. 

“NO!” His son yelled.

“Don’t you talk to me like that, Albus Severus, or we’ll go home right now,” Harry said in a low, warning voice. 

“ _ **Shut up and give me my cake!**_ ” Albus shrieked. Everyone was staring at the power struggle going on between father and son, unable to believe that sweet little Al was the one throwing the tantrum. 

“That’s it, young man,” Harry said, yanking his son to his feet and taking hold of his hand. “Gin, we’re leaving, I’ll see you at home,” Harry said, marching his wailing son over to the fireplace to Floo home. As he grabbed a handful of Floo powder and prepared to leave, he turned back and looked at his family. Hermione looked concerned, Ron looked surprised, and Ginny looked pissed. 

_Fuck_ , Harry thought, _will this really be worth it?_

He looked down at Albus, who was crying in earnest, his face and hands sticky from all of the cake and sweets he’d consumed. Seeing his son like that made him angry. It conjured up ancient memories of his cousin Dudley, spoiled and fat, wailing for a present while cramming fistfuls of cake into his mouth. 

Harry knew, in his heart of hearts, that Albus was nothing like Dudley. He was sweet, and thoughtful, and smart, and unbelievably kind. He gave them little to worry about and brought so much joy to his and Ginny’s lives. 

But. 

Seeing Albus like that, looking like a pudgy little prince who wasn’t getting his way, made him forget the fact that his son was normally a well-behaved child. Right now, Albus looked spoiled and plump and it made Harry angry. He refused to raise the second Dudley Dursley. 

He had to do what he thought was right. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Albus glumly pushed the green beans and squash around on his plate. He stared at the naked piece of chicken in front of him, then looked at his brother’s plate beside him, which was loaded with a large, juicy piece of chicken with crispy skin and mashed potatoes. Albus had no potatoes. He had vegetables and this sad piece of poultry, and his tummy growled. 

His ten-year checkup with the family Healer had not gone well. 

His father had voiced his concerns that Albus was too big, and Healer Green had looked over Albus and his chart. 

“Well, the lad could certainly do with a little more vegetables and a little less pizza,” Healer Green said in a booming voice. “He’s still growing, but we’d rather have it be up than out, eh?” 

His father had nodded enthusiastically. Albus blushed. 

He had been given a list of healthy foods that were good to eat, and unhealthy foods that he should stay away from. He had perused it on the way home and was disappointed to see that just about everything he loved wasn’t on the good side of the page. 

His mother had been furious when Albus and his Dad had come home from the Healer, yelling at him almost as soon as they’d walked in the door. Albus had gone to his room, but left the door cracked so he could eavesdrop.

“We have a bit more than a year before he goes to Hogwarts, and we need to get him on the right track!” His father had yelled. 

“You are pushing this much too hard, you’re going to mess with his mind and give him issues with food!” his mother had yelled back. 

“He simply weighs _too much_ and you know it, Ginny, get your head out of the sand!” Albus buried his face into his pillow. 

Now they were sitting at the table, the whole family, while Albus ate a different dinner that his Dad had prepared just for him. Everyone was silent, the only sound the clinking of silverware, and suddenly Al’s stomach felt very present, as if it was another guest at the table. He looked around at everyone else eating, and quickly scarfed down his chicken. It sat like a lump in his belly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh, my boy,” Ginny said, squeezing Albus tightly and kissing him on the forehead. “I’m going to miss you. Be good and have fun and study and...oh,” she said, tears spilling over. 

“ _Mum, _everyone’s looking,” Albus said nervously, looking around at all of the other families, who were most certainly not bothering to look at them. Ginny released her son and wiped the tears from her face.__

__Harry moved in and wrapped Al in a hug. “Don’t be nervous, son. You’re going to absolutely love Hogwarts. We’ll miss you like crazy but it’s going to be alright. We’ll see you at Christmas.”_ _

__“I know, Dad,” Al muttered._ _

__“Have a wonderful time and be healthy,” Harry said lightly, trying not to come across too pushy but ultimately failing. A deep frown settled on Al’s face and he pushed himself away from Harry. Over the past year and a half, Al’s relationship with his father had become rather strained. Harry had stuck hard to his decision to limit Al’s food intake and up his exercise, and it had led to a deep resentment between father and son. Al fidgeted with the clasp on his robe._ _

__It wasn’t that Albus didn’t _want_ to be healthy, and he supposed he understood that that mostly meant being thin...but he missed the days of eating his favorite foods with abandon, the taste of them, how very safe he felt when his tummy was full and he was curled up on the sofa with a book. His meals had mostly consisted of chicken, fish, vegetables and whole grains since that ill-fated trip to the Healer a year and a half before, and his evenings were spent running throughout their neighborhood and riding his bike. Between that and growing an additional two inches, Al’s persistent belly had slowly whittled away, leaving him as slim and fit as his brother and sister. _ _

__He looked like every other kid on this platform, and he supposed that was a good thing. It had certainly made his Dad happy. Harry beamed with pride at his family, and once again it left Al feeling indescribably sad at the fact that he simply hadn’t been enough when he was chubby. He had been too much and not enough, all at the same time._ _

__The train blew its whistle, and the family bustled over and helped Al stow his luggage. James hugged his mother and father briefly and leapt onto the train to join his friends; Lily began to cry earnestly at the fact that she was left out; Albus gave a final hug to his parents and promised them he’d be good._ _

__Several hours later, Al had been sorted into Slytherin and sat in shock at his table. What would his family think, a Slytherin amongst them? This would be just another thing to fight with his father about. He sat glumly, watching as his fellow first-years also got sorted. He caught James’ eye across the room at the Gryffindor table and shrugged; James looked just as shocked as he felt. A Potter, in Slytherin?_ _

__As soon as all the new students had been assigned to their houses, the tables magically filled with food. Al’s eyes widened to the size of saucers at the spread that was laid out in front of him._ _

__There were trays and trays of chicken, lamb, steak, pork chops, sausages and fish, mounds of potatoes, boiled, fried _and_ mashed and a wide assortment of vegetables...and that was just within his reach. There were foods here that Al hadn’t eaten in _ages_. His mouth watered. _ _

__For a moment, Al remembered his father and how upset he’d be if he knew that Al was considering properly tucking in to this delectable food. He remembered all the nights he had gone to bed still hungry, and how many runs he’d had to go on to get trim. It had been a long, hard road, this business of losing weight, and none of it had been fun. But he’d come out on the other side of it stronger, leaner, and with a knowledge of healthy eating that most kids his age didn’t have. He could eat the fish, or the chicken if he removed the skin, and load up on the vegetables. Simple._ _

__But _Merlin_ , those pork chops and steaks looked delicious. And those _potatoes_ , he could practically taste them. It wouldn’t hurt to have a proper full meal, just this once, would it? _ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__Three weeks before Christmas, Al was walking to the library when his brother grabbed his arm and pulled him aside._ _

__“You’re getting fat again,” James said simply, and Al blushed. He laid a hand on his middle defensively._ _

__Okay, so his trousers were pinching his tummy something awful. It wasn’t enough for Dad to notice, right?_ _

___I’m in trouble._ _ _


End file.
